Fire in the Storm
by WeasleyForMe
Summary: Hermione and Charlie find themselves stranded together, and boredom quickly turns into heat!
1. Chapter 1

_Fire in the Storm by WeasleyForMe_

_This story is for my darling friend Kara! Happy Birthday, KaraSays!  
_

_Hermione and Charlie find themselves stranded together, and boredom quickly turns into heat! Thanks Mistymist for beta reading this for me!!_

* * *

It was unseasonable for a snowstorm to come through the area this late into spring, but Hermione found herself worriedly looking out the window, hoping all of the Weasley's made it back safely. She had been alone at the Burrow after work on Friday when the crisp air turned colder and the sky darkened. Large snow flakes had been pummeling to the ground for an hour before Hermione realized that she might become stranded. It only took her another moment to realize that she was alone, and she began to worry. She was huddled next to the picture window in the den, when suddenly she heard someone burst through the front door.

Hermione was gripping her wand when Charlie came ambling into view, cloaked in a giant parka. "Oh, hey Hermione. The snow is really coming down hard now." She nodded in worried agreement as she replaced her wand in her pocket.

"Do you know where everyone else is?" she asked him, glancing back out at the falling snow. "I hope they don't get stranded."

Charlie pulled the parka from his broad shoulders and shook the snow out of his messy, ginger hair, causing Hermione's breath to hitch in her throat. "Well, I'm sure it'll be nearly impossible to apparate through this storm if it keeps up. I know Dad went to Aunt Muriel's house with Mum, Ron and Ginny after work." He turned to hang the parka next to the door. "And I guess the twins will just stay at their flat and fend for themselves for dinner," he finished, turning back and smiling at Hermione. "Speaking of dinner, I'm starving!"

Hermione's stomach growled at the mention of food, and she looked up at him, a slight blush staining her cheeks. "Let's see what's in the kitchen." Charlie led the way and held the door open for her before opening and examining the contents of the refrigerator.

"Looks like leftovers or sandwiches," he told her, his face hidden by the refrigerator door. Hermione was trying not to stare at his trim waist and rather fit rear end as he shuffled some food around.

"Uh, leftovers are probably our best bet. At least until the others get back." She managed to avert her eyes as she rose and pulled some glasses and plates out of the cupboard.

They sat side by side in companionable silence, eating their pot roast and potatoes, occasionally glancing at each other only to smile awkwardly before taking another bite. When they had finished their meal, they still had not received word from any of the other Weasley's.

"Do you think everyone is okay?" Hermione asked as she stood at the sink washing their dinner plates. "It's starting to get dark."

Charlie stood next to her, gazing out the window above the sink. "I hope we hear from them soon. The wind is picking up, too." They could both feel the cold air seeping in around the old windows each time the wind blew. Charlie turned away from the window and said, "Why don't you use a charm to wash the dishes?"

Hermione pursed her lips. "Well, I've never been all the good at domestic charms."

Contrary to her words, Charlie thought that Hermione looked adorably domestic and charming as she washed the dishes and dried them with a peach coloured towel. "Neither have I," he told her with a grin as he took the towel and finished drying the glasses that she had washed. He realized that the two of them had never had an excuse to spend any time together.

Hermione handed two forks to Charlie for him to dry them, but when their fingers briefly touched, an electric thrill ran up Hermione's back, causing her to drop the silverware. "Oh, it's my fault," she told him as they both bent to pick them up. Charlie reached for one fork while Hermione picked up the other one. He tried not to notice the way that her shirt collar gaped when she bent, revealing a bit of her lacy, pink bra or the way that her cheeks seemed to be flushed each time they spoke. Once they had straightened up, he took the fork from her hand, careful not to make contact with her skin, lest he feel another jolt of lust in his groin.

"I'll finish up," he managed to grunt. Hermione was about to turn away from the sink when she noticed an owl flying about just outside the window. Leaning forward on her tiptoes, she opened the window allowing Percy's owl to enter along with a blast of icy air. She slammed the window after the bird and giggled as she saw that Charlie's hands and the dishes were now covered with snow. "Sorry about that," she chuckled.

Charlie just rolled his eyes and turned on the hot water to warm his fingers. "What did Percy say?" he asked, placing the dishes and silverware in their proper place.

Hermione skimmed through the letter before answering. "Apparently he's just going to stay with Penny for the night until the storm lets up," she replied. Percy and Penelope had been s sickeningly sweet couple for a few years, so it was no surprise that she would have him stay over and fuss over him.

"I figured as much. Want a cup of tea?" Charlie asked. Hermione nodded, and a few minutes later, she found herself curled up in the loveseat in front of the fireplace, with a cup of Earl Grey. Charlie was stretched out on the floor at her feet, reading _Dauntless Dragons Quarterly_ and sipping his own cup of tea. Hermione smiled slightly as she noted that they both liked to read and they took their tea the same way: lemon and a heaping spoonful of sugar.

Sighing quietly, she picked up the Transfiguration journal that she had been reading and tried to find the spot where she had left off. There was a problem with that, however; Hermione found that she was becoming distracted with the way Charlie's shoulder muscles flexed through his white t-shirt each time he turned a page in his periodical. She also couldn't help but become very aware of the way Charlie chewed on his lower lip and nodded slightly in agreement with the article he was reading. "_I never really noticed it before, but Charlie is rather fit!" _Hermione thought, much to her dismay, as she realized that she'd been staring at him long enough for her tea to get cold.

She quickly forced her eyes back down to the page in front of her and read the same line about a hundred times, trying to calm her pounding heart. When the wind roared particularly loudly, Charlie turned to glance up at her. "Are you too cold? We can make the fire warmer," he said, pulling out his wand in the process.

"No, no, it's fine," she assured him, realizing that if it were warmer, he might be temped to remove his t-shirt and give her a heart attack. He shrugged and tucked his wand back into his pocket just as the floo connection turned the fireplace emerald green. Charlie immediately knelt in front of the flames, and Hermione leaned forward in the chair, waiting to see who would emerge.

Mrs. Weasley's face and voice appeared in the fireplace. "Charlie! Hermione! Are you alright, dears? This snow storm is really getting rather violent!"

Charlie nodded before he glanced at Hermione. "Yup, we're fine Mum. Are you all coming back from Aunt Muriel's cottage now?"

Shaking her head sadly through the flames, she responded, "No, I'm afraid not. Ron, Ginny, your father and I arrived just in time to be exposed to Muriel's bad case of scrofungulus! We didn't even know she was sick when we decided to visit her."

Hermione slipped off of the loveseat and knelt next to Charlie. "Isn't scrofungulus contagious?" she asked, worriedly.

"Yes, I'm afraid it is, dear. It would appear that the four of us are stranded at the cottage for a few days," she told them. Charlie and Hermione exchanged an awkward look as she rambled on. "I just feel so terrible that I won't be there to make food for you! But there are new groceries in the pantry. Will the two of you be able to manage without me?" she asked, nearly hysterical.

"Mum, Hermione and I are both adults… I'm sure we can look after ourselves," Charlie appeased his mother.

"Glad to hear it, because believe me, it could take days for us to return. We need to wait until the fevers and itching stop!" she exclaimed. "Please stay indoors, and keep tabs on Percy and the twins."

Hermione and Charlie reassured her that everything would be fine in her absence, and before long, Mrs. Weasley's head was gone from the floo. Hermione and Charlie eyed each other for a moment, both realizing that they were now stranded together for an unknown amount of time.

Charlie ran his fingers nervously through his hair. He couldn't deny his growing fondness for the witch kneeling next to him, but he'd be damned if he would act on it. "So, Hermione, how do we entertain ourselves for the next few days?"

Hermione had a few unspoken ideas which caused her to blush. Thinking quickly, she managed, "Um, fancy a game of chess?"

* * *

_Could it be that there are already some feelings on both ends?! _

_I hope you like it enough to leave a review! This story will last for a few chapters. _


	2. Chapter 2

_Fire in the Storm by WeasleyForMe_

_This story is for my sweet friend Kara! Happy Birthday, KaraSays!  
_

_Hermione and Charlie find themselves stranded together, and boredom quickly turns into heat! Thanks Mistymist for beta reading this for me!! (And thanks to Grande.Vanilla.Skim.Latte!!)  
_

* * *

Hermione and Charlie sat across from each other at a small table, playing with Ron's old Wizards' chess set. Hermione lost all seven rounds to Charlie, partly because she was a rotten chess player, but mostly because her knees made contact with Charlie's legs each time either of them shifted.

Toward the end of the eighth round, Hermione made a move and then examined the board, waiting for Charlie to take his turn. "Your move," she murmured, glancing up to see him staring intently at her. When she made eye contact with him, he grinned before commanding his bishop to destroy her queen. As Charlie finished off the rest of her pieces, she couldn't help but wonder why he kept looking at her with such interest.

Once all of Hermione's chess characters pieces were laying in ruin, Charlie stretched, saying, "Well, it's getting late." As he reached toward the ceiling with his firm, muscled arms, he stretched his legs out on either side of Hermione's calves. Her eyes fluttered closed as she felt the warmth of his legs through her trousers, the fabric tickling her skin as he moved. She had to bite back a moan as she forced her eyes open and saw how deliberate Charlie's expression was. She started to narrow her eyes as he jumped up, saying, "Should be getting to bed now. Good night, Hermione."

"Night," she replied as she watched him ascend the stairs to his old bedroom. If she didn't know better, she would say that Charlie had intentionally touched her legs throughout the chess games. Not that she would have minded. Standing, she realized her legs felt like jelly, a result of the close contact she had with him. "Get a grip!" she muttered, heading up to Ginny's room where her own bed was located.

When Hermione woke in the morning, she first noticed the way the room was dark and dismal, telling her that the storm was raging on. She stood and pulled the curtain back to reveal that the snow had nearly reached the tops of the shrubbery in the orchard. She gasped as she touched the icy cold pane of glass; her room was much colder upon waking than it was when she had gone to sleep. Moving quickly, she slipped out of her flannel pyjamas and wrapped her warm, fleecy robe around herself and headed off to take a shower.

Just as she was approaching the closed door, it was flung open to reveal Charlie with a bright blue towel slung low around his waist. "Good morning!" he told her cheerfully.

Hermione gulped, realizing that yes, she was close to having a heart attack at the sight of Charlie minus a shirt. "Yep, good morning," she squeaked, shimmying past him into the bathroom. She closed the door and leaned against it until her rampaging heart slowed to a more normal pace. There was just no way she was strong enough to spend the weekend alone with him.

Charlie chuckled and shook his head as he meandered off to his room. He was somewhat happy and somewhat disappointed that he didn't follow his first instinct and leave the bathroom in the buff. Her reaction would have been that much better, but he didn't want to scare her off.

* * *

Hermione's shower did little to calm her nerves, and after taming her hair, she headed down to find something to eat. The entire house was very cold, and she noticed that the snow drifts outside the living room window had nearly reached the bottom of the shutters. Casting warming charms as she went, she arrived in the kitchen to find an enormous stack of buttermilk pancakes in the middle of the table and Charlie whistling next to the sink. He was pouring two cups of tea and adding the lemon and sugar; she smiled, realizing that he also noticed their identical preference for tea. Smoothing down the front of her wooly jumper, Hermione cleared her throat, making her presence known.

"Hey," Charlie said, turning to face her. "I hope you don't mind that I made breakfast."

She gestured toward the pancake tower, saying, "Think you made enough? It's just me and you!"

"Okay, so I got a little carried away, but I just wanted to make a nice breakfast."

Hermione took a seat, realizing he was just trying to be nice since they were stuck together. And after the bathroom encounter, she should be happy he hadn't picked up on her awkwardness. "Thanks," she said, looking up into his deep hazel eyes.

They ate again in relative silence, and Hermione was amazed that they finished all of the pancakes. Hermione forced Charlie to sit and relax while she washed the dishes. It was only fair since he cooked everything. When she was finished, she plopped down next to him again. They looked at each other for a moment before she said, "Now what do we do?"

"I don't know," he replied, looking around the kitchen.

"Did you see how deep the snow got? We really can't go outside."

"Yeah, we have to think of something to do inside." A devilish smirk crossed Charlie's lightly freckled face. "I don't know about you, but I'm going to find Ginny's diary and read it."

"No!" Hermione gasped. But as Charlie stood, she realized that reading a diary would be such a fun, guilty pleasure. She stood as well and a moment later, they were racing each other to the top of the steps. Hermione had nearly reached the top when Charlie grabbed her around the waist and pulled her back against his hard chest. He made sure he reached the landing first before he set her back down.

"I win," he told her as she glared up at him. Hermione realized his laughing lips were just inches away from hers, and she had to tear herself out of his arms before she did something crazy.

"That may be so, but _I_ am the one who knows where the diary is hidden." Hermione threw her shoulders back as she sauntered into Ginny's room ahead of Charlie, making her way to her bed and sitting. Charlie stared at Hermione's rear end as she walked, sighing and shaking his head.

He cleared his throat. "It couldn't be that difficult to find." An hour later, he was still looking for it, and Hermione was gingerly filing her nails from her perch on the bed. "Okay, I give up. I'll do anything you want if you tell me where it is."

"Anything?" she asked, cocking an eyebrow. He nodded slowly, already regretting his words. "Oh, I can imagine that might come in handy later," she said as she pointed toward the pink area rug next to Ginny's bed.

Charlie pulled it back to reveal a hidden trap door in the hardwood flooring. "You must be kidding me," he said as he opened it and pulled out a purple leather book. Before he opened it, he turned to Hermione. "Is something horrible going to happen to me when I open this?"

Hermione laughed. "Even if it does, Ginny isn't that great at Charms, so it shouldn't last long." He slowly opened the cover, but nothing happened. He shrugged, taking the book across the room and plopping down next to Hermione. She almost giggled as she thought, _"Charlie is in my bed!"_

He skimmed through a few pages as she secretly studied his face. He didn't have as many freckles as his siblings, and his hair was a shade darker. Hermione couldn't help but feel as though all the years she had spent crushing on Ron qualified as wasted time when she looked at Charlie.

"What the hell?" he muttered after a few minutes, jarring her back to reality. He turned to face her as he said, "Everything in here is about Harry Bloody Potter! Look at this. She wrote three pages about the shirt he was wearing last October ninth!"

Hermione skimmed the pages and they soon found themselves pointing out ridiculous sentences. Charlie kept making comments, secretly enjoying Hermione's throaty laughter. After a few moments, they were both red-faced and lying side by side, catching their breath.

"Who knew Ginny had such a one-rack mind?" Charlie asked, rolling on his side to face her as she propped herself up on her arm. Hermione studied his face once more as he in turn studied hers. Gently, slowly, Charlie inched his face closer to hers intent on kissing her. She instinctively reached her fingers out until their tips brushed against his arm, hoping against all odds that he was guiding his lips to her own. Just as they met in the briefest of kisses, someone activated the floo network in the living room.

"Charlie? Hermione? Where are you?"

They pulled guiltily apart and jumped up from the bed.

* * *

_:D I just adore Charlie! _

_Anyway, it was brought to my attention that my loyal reviewer WeasleyWeakness is having a birthday and likes Charlie, too!! I hope you enjoyed this chapter, as well!_

_Up next, we will see what this interruption is and how their stranded day progresses! Have an idea? Send me a message!_


	3. Chapter 3

_Fire in the Storm by WeasleyForMe_

_This story is for my darling friend Kara! Happy Birthday, KaraSays!  
_

_Hermione and Charlie find themselves stranded together, and boredom quickly turns into heat! Thanks Mistymist for beta reading this for me and fixing my mishaps!!_

* * *

Charlie stared at Hermione's retreating form as she hurried out of the bedroom without looking back at him. He groaned and clutched his forehead in his palms. "What the hell did I do?" he asked out loud, hoping that his desperation in reaching for a kiss didn't scare Hermione away for good. He mentally chastised himself as he made his way to the living room to find out who interrupted the sweetest little pair of lips in the world pressing against his own.

He stood on the landing for a second to be sure that his hormones were under control before he charged down the stairs to assess the situation. Fred and George were taking turns picking Hermione up and passing her back and forth as they mock-fussed over her. Charlie shook his head; he should have known the twins would interrupt such a spontaneously magical moment.

"Hermione," Fred said as he rocked her back and forth, doing his best impression of their mum. "Are you eating enough? It's Saturday… did you sleep in? Is Charlie taking care of you? Are you too cold?"

George reached out and captured her in his arms. "Oh my, you're just wasting away. Come to the kitchen while I fix you some lunch."

With a poorly concealed grin, Hermione managed to wrench herself out of the twins' grasp. "I'm fine, and I take it that the two of you were bored enough to come visit us," she said, sneaking a glance in Charlie's direction.

Charlie smiled back at them, shaking his head at the twins. But when Hermione's eyes met his, he was surprised to feel his cheeks become warm.

Fred and George immediately noticed the identical blushes that graced Hermione's and Charlie's faces at the same time. George shared a speculative look with Fred before asking, "Did we interrupt anything?"

Hermione's eyes went a bit wide before quickly returning to normal. "No!" she and Charlie spouted at the same time.

Charlie shook his head. "Nothing at all. Hey want some lunch?" he asked, hastily trying to change the subject. The twins warily agreed and the four of them headed into the kitchen. George made a beeline for the refrigerator and threw meat and cheese across the kitchen to Fred. Charlie took a loaf of bread out of the pantry and started to cut some slices. Hermione laughed as she watched them goof around.

After the boys made a mess of the condiments and turned half of the loaf into jagged bread slices, Hermione pushed them toward the table so they were out of the way. She deftly made a stack of sandwiches as she watched the wind whipping large snowflakes at the window in front of her. The snow had reached the bottom of the window pane, and Hermione felt a chill run up her spine. She turned toward the table, taking the ham sandwiches with her.

"Thanks Hermione!" the three Weasley's chorused. She laughed as she took the butter beer that Charlie handed her and sat across from him. They ate lunch and chatted about the weather; Fred and George weren't even able to open their shop with all the snow piling up. As the twins showed sandwiches into their mouths, barely pausing to chew, Hermione studied Charlie's face. He locked eyes with her and gently rubbed his shin along her calf under the table. Hermione nearly squeaked as her jaw dropped open. Charlie merely grinned slightly as he did it again, making Hermione choke as she sipped her drink.

"Ok there, Hermione?" Fred asked with a smirk.

She sputtered to catch her breath as George eyed Charlie carefully, realization dawning. "Well, I think we'll be going now," he said as he grabbed Fred and dragged him out of the kitchen. Fred struggled to grab one more sandwich before they disappeared through the door, calling their farewells as they went.

"Wow," Hermione murmured. "They sure left in a hurry."

"Uh, yeah, they did," he responded, suddenly feeling very self conscious. Perhaps playing with Hermione under the table was not the best way to proceed.

Hermione suddenly felt very warm. "Hey, is it really hot in here all of a sudden?"

Charlie abruptly felt the temperature in the room rise exponentially, and he jumped up when he heard the twins cackling in the living room. With matching glares, he and Hermione rushed into the next room just in time to see the twins disappear into the green flames of the floo network.

"Look what they did!" Hermione exclaimed when the fire went from vibrant green to a hot white heat.

"Those sods turned up the heat!" Charlie exclaimed as he could feel perspiration on his face. He pulled his t-shirt off and used it to mop at his face and neck.

Hermione quickly yanked her jumper over her head revealing a sleeveless, light magenta shirt. "I can't stand this much heat. What were they thinking?" she groaned, digging in her pocket for her wand.

Charlie was of absolutely no help as he watched Hermione trying spell after spell to try to tame the fire. The way her shirt revealed inch after fantastic inch of her flesh had him mesmerized. Finally she managed to return the flames to their normal state. "Why in the world did they do that?" she asked Charlie.

He took care to look innocently unknowing as he shrugged. "Once a prankster, always a prankster?" Deep inside, he knew that they must have done it for his benefit, as Hermione was now wearing much less clothing.

Hermione suddenly realized that Charlie was once again shirtless. Without thinking, she reached out and ran a small hand down his chest, needing nothing more at that moment than to touch him. Charlie sucked in a deep breath as he dropped his shirt to the floor before grabbing her other hand and pulling her close. He quickly pressed his lips to hers, hoping to continue where they had stopped earlier. Hermione quickly relaxed in his arms as he nibbled on her lower lip. As he ran his hands down her sides, she let out a pleasurable noise, startling Charlie back to the present time. He realized that he had drifted away mentally and was about to tear the girl's clothing clean off her body. He slowly released her and stepped back.

"Wow, I'm sorry about that," he whispered.

She stared at him, confused by his sudden change of pace. "Sorry about what?"

"My reaction, I don't know where it came from. I didn't mean to take advantage," he mumbled. "Um, I'm just going to go start dinner, okay?" He headed back into the kitchen, grabbing his shirt along the way.

Hermione watched him go, simply shocked that she had been so bold as to reach out for him. She blushed in the still too warm room before running upstairs to take a cold shower. She managed to hide in the bathroom for nearly an hour as she cooled down. The last thing she wanted was to return to Charlie in the same wanton state she'd left in. She hustled back to her room and placed Ginny's diary back in the floor before she dressed herself in a plain white t-shirt and some jeans. She examined her damp hair and flushed cheeks in the mirror before returning to the living room.

She grabbed Charlie's copy of _Dauntless Dragons Quarterly_ and settled next to the window where it was a bit cooler. She alternated between trying to read the journal and watching the snow fall; her thoughts drifted back to Charlie's bare chest every couple of seconds. She couldn't believe that he was being so openly flirtatious. He was bolder at lunch than he had been during the chess game. And that kiss!

Sighing loudly, she forced herself to read the periodical from cover to cover; she desperately needed to calm down. When the clock on the mantle chimed six times, she stood, surprised that it was already so late. She made her way into the kitchen where she found Charlie bent at the waist, pulling a pie out of the oven. Even though he was once again wearing a shirt, he looked even more delicious to Hermione than the pie did.

"Need any help?" she asked, hoping desperately that he would suddenly need someone to massage his back or play with his hair.

He turned to look at her, noticing that she looked much calmer without the heat raging around them. He was suddenly exceedingly happy that he had managed to drag himself to the kitchen and calm down as well; of course he wanted the girl, but he knew that the overheated living room was not the place. "Would you mind looking in the pantry for something to drink? I'm tired of tea and butter beer," he told her as he pulled out his wand, magically cooling the pie. "I hope you like mincemeat."

"Of course I do! Thanks to the dinner menu at Hogwarts, I've learnt to love it," she told him as she opened the pantry and rooted around. She chuckled as she pulled out two bottles. "How about we drink these?" she asked.

Charlie looked at the bottles of wine that she was holding and couldn't help but laugh. "Sure, we can drink those, if you promise not to get too drunk."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Please, I think I know when to stop." She poured two glasses while Charlie sliced his pie.

They settled down at the table in silence, and Hermione took a bite of her pie. "Mmm, this is delicious," she groaned as her head fell slightly back. She licked her lips to ensure that she caught all of the crumbs, and Charlie's eyes glazed over as he watched her. She sat upright and took another forkful, gently parting her lovely pink lips to taste it. She moaned again at the flavour, and Charlie had to adjust himself in his chair as his jeans began to feel too tight. How was she doing this to him again? He watched as she chewed with her eyes closed, and when she swallowed, his eyes trailed down her neck and came to rest on her chest.

"Aren't you hungry?" she asked, and Charlie's eyes snapped up away from her breasts.

"Oh, yes, very hungry," he told her, taking a huge bite of pie. She smirked at him, and he was certain that she knew where his eyes had been. He shook his head before downing his entire glass of wine. This was going to be a long night.

* * *

_I hope you weren't to upset that the twins interrupted them!__ Thanks again for all of the reviews from chapter two! I hope you liked this chapter enough to review again! :)_


	4. Chapter 4

_Fire in the Storm by WeasleyForMe_

_This story is for my darling friend Kara! Happy Birthday, KaraSays!  
_

_Hermione and Charlie find themselves stranded together, and boredom quickly turns into heat! Thanks Mistymist for beta reading and being so sweet... without her, I'd be lost!_

* * *

Charlie would never admit that he was hungry for something other than the pie they were eating, but watching Hermione sipping her glass of wine with flushed cheeks was making him feel ravenous. He didn't know what to do with himself each time she laughed or looked at him, so he just kept drinking and hoped for the best.

When he stood to take his dishes to the sink, Hermione jumped up. "I'll do that, Charlie." When he tried to protest, she said, "You made the food, I'll clean up." Rather then protesting, he merely watched her sashay to the sink, noticing she was a little unsteady on her feet.

He chuckled as he watched her washing everything by hand; she was just so cute. "I'll be in the living room, Hermione," he muttered as he opened the second bottle of wine, surprised by how much they'd had to drink during their meal.

Once he left the kitchen, Hermione washed everything as quickly as she could. Then she used the window as a mirror and tried to straighten up her hair and t-shirt. She snorted quietly after a moment, realizing she was making very little progress with her unruly curls. She noticed that the snow had stopped falling, finally, but the wind was whipping the tree branches back and forth in the garden. A small shiver ran up her spine as she turned toward the living room, taking her glass with her. She settled in front of the fire next to Charlie's sprawled form.

"It's kind of boring being stuck inside all weekend with all of this snow," she murmured into the fire.

Charlie rolled onto his side and faced her. "Are you insinuating that I'm dull?" he asked with a pout.

Hermione carefully observed all of Charlie's physical attributes and found nothing that was mundane or average in the least. Her gaze lingered on his broad chest before she flicked her eyes back up to meet his. "Charlie Weasley, if I thought spending time with you was boring, I wouldn't even want to know what you thought of me. I'm amazed that you haven't already died after spending two days in my presence. Harry and Ron always remind me that books and parchment are bland and uninteresting."

"Well maybe they don't remember that there's more to life than Quidditch," Charlie scoffed. "And you're not boring. I don't kiss boring girls." Hermione blushed and tried to stop from grinning as she examined Charlie's serious face; he gave her a pointed look that was daring her to disagree.

"It's just that I'm not very unique or anything like that, and my hair is really weird-"

"I don't kiss ugly girls, either," he told her.

Hermione suddenly felt lighter than air and had to bite her lip to keep herself from giggling. She finally managed to ask, "Uh, can I have some more wine?"

Charlie poured her another glassful before filing his own to the brim, and he sat up so they were looking at each other. He took a few sips of his drink, suddenly very curious about the woman across from him. "What was your favourite subject at Hogwarts?" he asked. He wasn't even sure why he asked her that, other than to hear her voice, but he was pretty sure the wine had something to do with it.

Hermione smiled. "It's a tie between Transfiguration and Arithmancy. Yours?"

"Charms," he told her. "Bill and Percy were always the smart ones, but damn I was good at Charms." Hermione laughed. "And Care of Magical Creatures, obviously," he finished with a wink.

They sat in silence for a few moments, drinking and watching the fire. Hermione set down her empty glass and stretched out on the floor, and Charlie mimicked her movement. "Charlie, who was your first kiss?" she asked, turning her head to face him.

Charlie was once again propped up on his muscular arm. He laughed heartily as he looked at her saying, "My first kiss was Nymphadora Tonks."

Hermione's jaw dropped. "Really?"

"Yup. We dated for about two weeks in my sixth year; it was such a disaster. Let's just say, we're much better suited as friends than anything else," he told her with a bright smile. Suddenly his smile vanished. "Don't tell me your first kiss was Ron."

Hermione cackled as a result of the wine and the incredulous look on his face. "No! It was Viktor Krum."

"It still shocks me every time I remember that you dated him, because he's such a world renowned Quidditch star," Charlie said as he shook his head.

Hermione immediately took offence. "So you're saying what everyone else says, that I'm too ordinary for someone famous to be interested in me?"

Charlie propped himself higher on his arm and frowned. "That's not what I meant at all. It's just that, well, I think you're too good for him. Sure, he's famous, but he's not too bright or anything." Hermione's eyebrow slowly went up as he said, "I guess I shouldn't judge the guy or anything, but come on… of course I'm a little jealous that he got that far with his career _and _got to kiss _you_. It's just really not fair."

"You're saying that you're jealous that Viktor Krum snogged me over five years ago?" she asked slowly, trying to make sense of it in her own mind.

Charlie rolled onto his back and covered his face with his hands. He groaned as he said, "Maybe, a little bit. Okay, yes. Bugger, I think I had too much wine."

Hermione smiled brilliantly as she said, "I _know_ I've had too much wine." She sat up and pulled his hands away from his face. "I'm cashing in on the promise you made."

"What promise?" he asked as he sat up, happy that she seemed to have changed the subject.

She smiled slyly up at him. "You promised that if I showed you where Ginny's diary was hidden, you would do anything I wanted."

Charlie's eyes narrowed. "What do you want?"

Hermione took a deep breath and licked her lips. "I want you to kiss me."

"Now?" he whispered, afraid that the wine had gone to her head.

"Right now," she told him.

Charlie was happy to comply; really, if anyone was being taken advantage of, it was surely him. He leaned down toward Hermione and pressed his lips to hers. She sighed and immediately relaxed, and he ran his hand along her rosy cheek. Slowly, she reached up and gently ran her fingers through his soft hair. The stubble on his chin was sparking every fiber of her skin to life, and she moaned as his tongue gently ran the length of her lips. Just when he had driven her crazy, he pulled away from her, causing her to pout.

He chuckled as he ran his fingers along her cheek, to the back of her neck and let them tangle in her hair. Her eyes fluttered closed as he pressed his lips just below her right ear and trailed kisses down her neck. Charlie could feel Hermione's heart racing and his skin tingle as she wound her little fingers through the hair at the back of his neck. He was kissing her harder now, afraid he might leave a mark on her perfect neck, but she moaned slightly as his lips found their way to the front of his neck. Charlie ran his hands down her sides to her hips as she pulled his lips back to hers.

"Charlie," she whispered against his lips, and she pulled him down as she laid herself on the rug in front of the blazing fire. His feature glowed orange and exotic as she looked up at him, enjoying some of his body weight holding her against the floor. He kissed her lips again and he could feel her fingers reaching for the bottom of his t-shirt. The clock struck midnight, and they both stilled their movement. Charlie looked down at her pouty lips and lust filled eyes before he released her.

"It's late… we should get some sleep," he whispered as he sat up.

"Right," she nodded. "We wouldn't want to get too carried away. Good night." She stood and dashed up to her room.

* * *

_Charlie is just too hot. -sigh-_

_I'm thinking the next chapter might be the last one. I hope you're enjoying it... Please review!_


	5. Chapter 5

_Fire in the Storm by WeasleyForMe_

_This story is for my darling friend Kara! Happy Birthday, KaraSays!  
_

_Hermione and Charlie find themselves stranded together, and boredom quickly turns into heat! Thanks Mistymist for beta reading and ruling the world.  
_

* * *

Once in her bed, Hermione let out a quiet squeal, muffled by her pillow. Charlie's lips against hers had caused her mind to stop, and it was just beginning to process reasonable thoughts again. He had implied that she was attractive and interesting, things that the men her own age never usually did.

"Why?" she groaned into the comforter. "Why did that blasted clock need to chime and ruin it?!" It was like they had been under a spell. Hermione couldn't help but think that she was close to ending up in Charlie's room for the night, and suddenly she didn't like the feel of the bed she was in. She rolled over and scowled at the wall before finally falling asleep.

Charlie woke after a restless night; tossing and turning _alone_ in his bed had not been what he wanted. His body had reacted to Hermione's kisses, and his brain played them over and over in his mind. Part of him was angry that he's let things with Hermione progress so far, but a much larger part of him wanted to march down to her room and climb into bed with her. He growled in frustration as he tried to think of anything other than her honey coloured eyes and soft skin as he hurried down to the bathroom.

"A cold shower will do nicely," he snarled, turning on the taps and stripping off his underwear. He stood in the shower for a few minutes trying to gain control over his mind and body before he cleaned himself. As he dried off, he considered shaving, but decided he was too hungry. He tied his towel around his waist and opened the bathroom door.

And there she stood. Hermione was chewing on her lower lip, waiting for him with her hands on her hips. Charlie's stomach seemed to jump up into his throat at the sight of her pyjamas which consisted of lacy purple knickers and a white tank top.

"Did you need the bathroom?" he asked as he tried to casually examine her long legs and curvy hips.

"Not really," she replied. He noticed that her eyes were darting from his gaze to his chest rather rapidly.

Charlie grinned and crossed his big arms over his broad chest, leaning his large body against the bathroom doorframe. "What can I do for you?"

She smiled a bit as she reached her palms out and ran them down his arms. "I think you've already done enough, because I can't stop thinking about you," she whispered, and his heart began to pound.

"_A lot of good the cold shower did,_" he thought. His mind was enthralled by the way the purple knickers barely covered anything but seemed to hide the world from him at the same time.

She ran her hands along his biceps before she pried his wrists apart, and he dropped his arms to his sides. A second later her hands were pressed against his chest and she was anxiously biting her lip again.

Charlie felt every nerve ending in his body tingle as her little fingers trailed their way down to his blue towel. She paused her movement and looked into his eyes. "You stopped us last night, and you stopped us when the twins heated everything up. But I don't want to stop anymore, Charlie," she whispered.

"_Does she have any idea what the sound of her voice alone is doing to me?_"he wondered. He cleared his throat for a few seconds before saying, "I was just trying to be a gentleman, Hermione. I didn't want to take advantage."

"Trust me, I know you're a gentleman. But you don't need to be one right now," she told him, her eyes never leaving his. Charlie could feel the wooden doorframe rubbing against his back as he tried to put more distance between them before he lost his mind. Her fingers continued their expedition toward his towel, and a low growl rumbled in his chest. Hermione groaned, "Please Charlie, make me stop again… if that's what you want." Her fingers dipped between the towel and his warm flesh.

"Don't stop," Charlie groaned as he allowed her to remove the towel and toss it into the bathroom. He stood starkers in front of her, eyes half closed from lust, as she reached her arms up around his neck and kissed his lips firmly. It didn't take him long to respond as his hands roamed her body greedily. Her kisses were even better than they had been the previous night.

He leaned down and kissed a path along her ear, and she responded by panting, "Thank the gods for blizzards." Charlie chuckled against her neck, and Hermione felt a flock of butterflies take residence in her tummy.

Charlie ran his fingers down her ribs and played with the hem of her tank top. Hermione's head drooped to the side and her eyes closed as he slid the garment over her head. He tossed it to join the towel before running his fingertips along her round breasts and pert nipples. Hermione was afraid that her legs were going to give out on her as he gently pinched her left nipple. She could feel Charlie's growing erection poking into her hip as he pushed her back against the open door, causing it to hit the wall from their weight. "Wait!" she yelled.

Charlie let go of her breasts and stepped quickly away from her, a look of sad concern clouding his face. Hermione giggled as she reached for him. "The doorknob was digging into my back," she explained as she took his hands and led him down the hallway.

Charlie sighed with relief. "I thought you wanted me to stop."

She paused and turned back to look at him. "No, not at all. I want you to go, faster," she said as she pulled him up the stairs to his bedroom.

He laughed at her audacity and scooped her into his muscular arms. She laughed as he walked them into his room and dropped her on the bed. He sighed, admiring her bouncy breasts and lace knickers, hardly believing that she was in his bed.

"Charlie," she moaned as she ran her fingers over her chest and ribs, and a soft blush crept into her cheeks.

With a gulp, Charlie climbed into bed with her. He ran his fingers down her legs and tickled her feet before he kissed her tummy. She was breathing deeply with her fingers tangled into her own hair as he licked the skin just above the purple lace. His fingers worked in little circles along her thighs, teasing her flesh.

"Take them off," she begged, nearly out of breath. With a grin and a wink, he slid the last of her clothing down her legs and over her feet. Hermione leaned up and pulled Charlie so he was on top of her. She pulled his lips back to hers and wrapped her legs around his waist as he kissed her, taking full possession of her mouth. Their tongues and hands explored each other until the fire between their bodies was almost too much to take.

Charlie rolled onto his back, flipping her over with him. She looked down at him, confused for a second before she realized what he wanted. She straddled his hips and set the tip of his member against her intimate folds before sinking down around him. Charlie hissed as she took him completely inside her and began to move. She leaned over him and kissed him as she raised and lowered her hips; Charlie's fingers twisted in her hair as he kissed her. Her breasts were rubbing against his hard chest, and her hands ran down his sides.

As she began to slowly move her hips back and forth, he groaned again. She whimpered as she kissed his neck and ran her tongue along his Adam's apple. With a sly grin, Hermione pushed herself upright away from Charlie until she was sitting upright with his manhood completely inside her. He could just barely reach her breasts when he stretched his arms out, and he wasn't sure he was too fond of her sitting up.

"Bring your lips back down here," he whispered and hissed as she quickly rotated her hips.

"Not yet," she told him as she ran her fingers down her shoulders and paused to play with her round breasts. She slowly raised herself up until she only had the tip of him inside her before lowering herself down around him again. Charlie watched, completely captivated, as she raised and lowered herself over and over, sending pulsed pleasure along his groin.

"Hottest ride ever," he moaned. She smiled and squeezed her breasts, rising and falling faster and faster along his shaft. She could feel the intensity building and thought Charlie could as well; he had his bed sheets balled in his fists as he tried to fight his orgasm as long as he could. Finally the motion became too much and he pulled her down against his chest again and thrust up into her as hard as he could. She screamed as he triggered her release and grasped onto his shoulders. Charlie pumped up into her until he was on the brink before he spilled his seed inside her. She panted and grasped his shoulders and chest as she rode the last of her orgasm.

Sighing contentedly, she rolled off of him and curled against his side, placing a kiss on his arm. She looked into his happy eyes as she said, "That was a very pleasant way to start the day."

He ran his large hand along her arm. "Maybe we can end the day that way, too," he said with a wink.

Hermione snuggled closer against him, liking the prospect of being with Charlie again. "What's for breakfast?" she asked with a smile.

"I thought that was breakfast."

* * *

_YAY for smut! _

_By the way, I lied before... this story will be a bit longer. Thanks for reading and Please Review!!_


	6. Chapter 6

_Fire in the Storm by WeasleyForMe_

_This story is for my darling friend Kara! Happy Birthday, KaraSays!  
_

_Hermione and Charlie find themselves stranded together, and boredom quickly turns into heat! Thanks Mistymist for beta reading and ruling the world._

* * *

"I thought that was breakfast." Charlie's look of innocence made Hermione chuckle.

"Well, if that was breakfast," she said with a wink, "I want the same thing for lunch and dinner."

Charlie eyed her in amazement, really enjoying her brazen comments that gave a boost to his ego. He grunted when she propped herself up in his bed and straddled his abdomen before climbing the rest of the way over him and off the bed.

"I really am hungry now, after that… workout," she commented as she sashayed across his room. Charlie's attention was focused completely on her rear end as she searched for her purple knickers. Once they were found, she slid them slowly up her smooth legs, enjoying the look in his eyes as she moved. "Oh, my shirt is still down in the bathroom," she said, adjusting the lace and elastic around her hips.

"You could just do without it," Charlie suggested. Hermione picked up a sock and threw it at him. "I have an idea," he said, rising to stand next to her. He met her eyes and held her longing gaze as he reached past her, into his closet. He pulled out a crisp, white dress shirt and held it behind Hermione; she slipped her arms into the long sleeves which fell far past her fingertips. Charlie slowly buttoned the shirt, starting from the bottom, never breaking eye contact. When his fingers brushed along her sensitive flesh, she shivered slightly and began to blush.

Hermione mentally chastised herself. "_You just had sexual intercourse with the man! Why are you blushing?_" But she knew why. She had never had a man do something quite _this_ intimate with her. Charlie's fingers fumbled at bit as he reached the top, deciding to leave the top two buttons undone.

Hermione's throat felt dry as she dropped her gaze and muttered, "I don't think it fits too well." She half expected him to shrink the shirt with a spell and was surprised when he ran his hands down her arm and began to roll up the sleeves.

Once the sleeves were rolled to Hermione's elbows, Charlie stood back to admire his work. He grinned and shook his head as he grabbed a pair of clean boxer shorts.

"What? Do I look that ridiculous?" she asked, slightly annoyed that he was shaking his head.

Charlie climbed into his underwear before he stopped to look at her again. "Nope. Actually, I think that right now, you are the cutest thing I've ever seen."

Hermione's eyebrows shot up. "Oh," she managed before she started to blush more and fidget around.

Charlie leaned down and kissed the top of her head. "Come on, I'll make you some food."

While Hermione helped him mix batter for pancakes, Charlie couldn't take his eyes off of her. He couldn't seem to believe what they had just done in his bedroom was anything more than a very pleasant dream. Hermione was reaching up into the cabinet for some dishes, and Charlie was watching his shirt rise up as it revealed her lacey knickers. He cleared his throat loudly, before he could speak. "Can you check to see if there is something to drink?"

She set the plates down and went to dig around the refrigerator. Charlie was beginning to think he'd sentenced himself to death as he watched her bent and curvy form reaching for some juice. The sigh of her wearing his shirt was way too tempting.

Charlie did his best to control himself as he sat across from her, eating his share of the blueberry pancakes and syrup. When they were cleaning up together, he was surprised by Hermione.

Once she had passed him the last plate to dry, she stared at him, biting her lip. "Charlie," she began as he dried the plate and set it down. "It's not exactly fair that you're flouncing around the kitchen, making breakfast and looking sexy without a shirt on. I mean, a girl can only take so much."

Charlie grinned before he spoke. "Really? Do you honesty think I look- Hey! I don't flounce!"

Hermione nearly cackled as she bounced out of the kitchen and into the den. Charlie bounded after her, ready to protest further, when they both noticed the floo network activate and flood the room with brilliant green light. With a squeak, Hermione hid halfway behind Charlie who in turn crossed his arms over his broad, bare chest. Hermione's eyes went wide, as did Percy's when he emerged from the fireplace. Charlie was frozen in place with her behind him; he really didn't know what to say in response to their lack of clothing.

Percy looked from Charlie down to what he could see of Hermione and then back up to his brother. He opened his mouth to speak as realization dawned on his bespectacled face, and a grin began to spread across his features until most of his teeth were showing. He shook his head a bit and pushed his glasses further up on his nose. "The others still have scrofungulus," he said quickly before turning back to the fireplace and activating the floo. Hermione and Charlie watched as he jumped into the grate and returned to Penelope's apartment.

Hermione appeared in front of Charlie. "Do you think he knows that we…?"

Charlie nodded. "I'm certain of it." Hermione sucked in a breath and covered her mouth. "Why? Are you ashamed?" he asked in a light tone, although he really wanted to know.

"No! Gods, no!" she quickly replied. "I just don't want him to tell your Mum, because then she'll keep flooing us, and we'll never get a chance to 'have lunch and dinner'."

Charlie's laughter boomed throughout the room as he scooped up Hermione and sat down in a squishy recliner with her on his lap. "Percy won't say anything. And as appealing as 'lunch' sounds, I need to get some things done for work, because once the snow melts, I'll have to go back. Maybe we can have a 'late lunch'?"

Hermione nodded and perched on his lap as a pang of sadness rushed through her chest. Charlie was only home for a long weekend, and soon he'd have to return to Romania. As he picked up his copy of _Dauntless Dragons Quarterly_ and wrapped his arm around her, she couldn't help but feel jealous of the dragons. With a frown, she situated herself so that they could both read the articles. She was leaning back against Charlie's perfect chest and playing with the hem of his dress shirt as he made an occasional note in the margins.

She pointed to a paragraph, asking, "Do the Welsh Greens really hibernate longer than any other breed?"

Charlie unconsciously kissed her cheek before he answered. "They do. In fact, it's a right pain in the arse to try to tag them in the wild during most of the year, because they are hiding in caves and caverns, peacefully sleeping. They are really hard to find."

Hermione's heart fluttered from the kiss and the feel of his chest rumbling as he spoke. She needed to feel more, so she asked another question. "Which breed is the most dangerous?"

"In my opinion, I'd say that all breed are equally dangerous as long as you are dealing with a new mother. Dragons usually respond well to trained keepers, but nursing mums are quite scary."

Hermione nodded against his chest and continued to read with him for awhile before she picked up the Weasley Family Photo Album from the table next to her. She skimmed through the pictures as Charlie made some notes. Hermione turned a page and started to laugh. Charlie set down the journal and wrapped his arms more firmly around her. He looked at the picture she was chuckling at. "Don't tell me you're going to make fun of me," he whined.

"How could I make fun of that? You were too cute!" She was looking at a picture of him waiting on the magical side of Platform nine and three quarters with his parents. It must have been from his first trip to Hogwarts. They all waved up from the page.

"I _was_ so cute?"

She rolled her eyes. "You still are, I suppose." What an understatement that was.

Charlie laughed as she turned the page to a shot of all seven children at a birthday party. She watched the moving image in which Percy blew out his candles and the twins tossed a rubber chicken at him. All of the children laughed while the much younger Percy started to cry. "I don't even know why Mum and Dad put that one in the album; Percy hates it."

"I can imagine why. But it captures the twins perfectly," she remarked. She closed the book and twisted around so she was almost facing Charlie. "What's it like having such a big family?"

Charlie looked into the low flames in the fireplace before answering. "Wonderful and utterly annoying at the same time. There was never any privacy growing up; everyone always knew all of your business, and they all thought they knew the best way to take care of problems. Mum would fuss over us all something terrible, and Dad was always working so hard. Bill and I used to hide in the attic when we got frustrated with Ron and the twins. Then Ginny was born, and suddenly I was looking after her all the time. But you know what?" he asked, looking into Hermione's eager eyes. "I can't imagine life without all of them. Your family is small, right?"

Hermione smiled sadly. "Yes, and my parents were workaholics. That's where I got my love of reading; I was usually alone as a child. But I really do love my parents. And your family was always very accepting of me at holidays after I started at Hogwarts. Of course, I don't see my family much, now that I live here while I work at Gringotts and save up for my own place."

Charlie nodded. "Don't tell Mum or anything, but they greatly influenced my move to Romania. I just needed to get away from the clan, you know? Try things on my own for once." He pulled the photo album out of her hands and opened it to an image of him with a baby dragon in a pen.

"Wow," she gasped as she watched the image move. Charlie knelt down and ran his hand along the baby's scales over and over again. She turned the pages and looked at more, similar images, and soon she understood how much his job meant to him. She flipped the page to the last photo of Charlie and frowned. "Who is she?"

Charlie looked at the photo of himself next to a gorgeous blonde girl and laughed heartily. "That's my roommate."

Hermione's eyes narrowed as she looked up at him. "Your mother allows you to room with _her_?" She suddenly felt very inadequate.

"Let me tell you, she threw a fit when I told her I was assigned to live with a former model," he said, recalling the conversation. Hermione scowled as she looked back at the photo, wishing the girl didn't exist. "But I explained that I'd have my own tiny bedroom and would only have to share a kitchen and bathroom with Anya."

Hermione sighed and crossed her arms.

"Are you… jealous?" Charlie asked.

"No!" she answered too quickly. "Don't be absurd." But of course she was jealous of the blonde model, even though she herself had no real claim on Charlie.

He laughed gently. "Well, if you _were_ jealous, I'd tell you that Anya is from Sweden and hardly speaks any English. She's also a slob, and I constantly have to clean up after her. Oh, and I think she likes women."

Hermione barely managed to hide her smile as she turned back to face him. "That's good to know."

Charlie grinned at her and tentatively leaned down to kiss her lips. Hermione's eyes fluttered closed as she accepted his kisses. She wrapped her arms around his neck to try to steady herself, but there was no way to calm her pounding heart as Charlie's fingers wound through her hair and tickled her flesh. "Is it time for lunch yet?" he finally asked.

* * *

_I hope you like this chapter! I know I took awhile to update, so I made it extra long! And thanks again Vette for all your help and input :)_

_Please Review! _


	7. Chapter 7

_Fire in the Storm by WeasleyForMe_

_This story is for my darling friend Kara! Happy Birthday, KaraSays!  
_

_Hermione and Charlie find themselves stranded together, and boredom quickly turns into heat! Thanks Mistymist for beta reading this for me!!_

* * *

Hermione spent the day dressed in Charlie's white shirt and insisted that he keep his attire to a minimum as well. She was really enjoying the view.

As they ate sandwiches for dinner, Charlie kept whispering comments about their lunchtime activity, making Hermione blush and smile next to him. They had been intimate in his room again, and Charlie was happily reliving the events. "You know what my favourite part was?" Charlie asked.

"What?" Hermione asked as her eyes fluttered closed.

Charlie whispered, "The way you called my name." Hermione smiled absently as Charlie's breath tickled her neck.

"If you keep this up, I just might have to have you again for dessert," she told him with a wink. While Charlie's grin spread across his face, she jumped up and collected their dishes and carried them to the sink. Charlie shook his head and watched her at the sink; he knew that she knew that she was putting on a delightful show for him.

Charlie stood and stretched. "Well, I'm going to take a nice hot shower." He sauntered through the living room and up the stairs; he could hear Hermione clattering through the plates and glasses when he reached the bathroom.

Once underneath the steamy water, Charlie relaxed and soaped up his body. He was waiting patiently for the sound of Hermione opening and closing the door to the bathroom, and was surprised to see her silently reaching to pull back the curtain.

"Mind if I join you?" she asked coyly.

Charlie smirked. "You wanted dessert after all?" She nodded and began to unbutton his white shirt, revealing only the purple knickers she was wearing.

Charlie sighed happily and pulled her into the shower with him. "Hey!" she cried as her underwear was soaked by the hot water.

He knelt down and pulled the scrap of lace down her hips and thighs, kissing her exposed flesh as he went. Hermione's heart started to pound and she had to grab Charlie's shoulders to steady herself. She stepped out of the knickers, and he tossed them out of the shower as he stood up. Hermione pressed herself against Charlie and wrapped her arms around his neck. The sensation of his slick skin sliding against hers caused desire to pool in her stomach, and the roughness of his hands on her back gave her chills.

She kissed his prickly jaw line and stopped at the corner of his mouth. Charlie opened his eyes and stared at her lips where they hovered just next to his own. "What?" he whispered.

"I just wanted to make sure you were hungry for dessert, too."

Charlie growled and claimed her mouth, tasting her and teasing her tongue. Hermione moaned as his powerful hands clutched her hips and pulled her against his erection. She grasped at his wet hair and wrapped her thigh around his hip, letting her head fall back. Hermione guided Charlie's mouth down to her chest; the heat of the shower was no match for the fire that his mouth seemed to ignite. He licked and sucked her nipples as she clung to him.

Once Hermione couldn't take the heat any longer, she unwound her leg from around Charlie's waist and winked up at him. His hands stopped their slow exploration of her body, wondering why she had winked. Hermione turned her back on him and bent at the waist until she was gripping the edge of the ceramic bathtub, facing away from him. She parted her straightened legs a few feet, giving Charlie a view of her round arse and intimate folds.

Charlie sucked in a deep breath as he observed her new stance. Hermione turned her head back to see his look of dazed lust; she smiled smugly and began to slowly sway her rear end back and forth. Charlie cleared his throat and reached an unsteady hand out to skim his fingers along the flesh of her lower back.

"Mmm," she moaned. "That's better… I was beginning to wonder if you didn't want me after all."

Charlie shook his head and placed both of his hands on her hips, gazing down at her back and her curly wet hair. "You must be joking. I can't think of anything I want more."

He gently thrust into her from behind before she could say anything else. She cried out in pleasure, and her voice echoing off of the tiled walls of the small room sounded exponentially wanton. Charlie pushed her further and further to the edge of reason, but she clung onto the side of the bathtub, pushing him nearer to his own release.

As the hot water poured over Charlie's back and shoulders, he concentrated on Hermione and the fact that he didn't want this to end. He didn't want to have to think about returning to Romania. He slowed his pace to enjoy her small movements and the way she was twisting her hips back against him. Reaching around to her front, he ran his fingers along her clit until he felt her shiver.

"Charlie!" she hollered hoarsely, and he was lost in her voice and his own orgasm. Once Hermione came, she spun back into Charlie's arms and they finally used the shower for the purpose of getting clean.

* * *

Hermione snuggled against Charlie as he slept, soaking up his body heat. As the sun began to rise and rays of light spread across the wall, Hermione stretched and sat up in Charlie's bed. She kissed his face while he slept and then stood and dressed in his green bathrobe. Quietly she tiptoed out into the hallway where she thought she heard someone come through the floo connection. She froze in place as Bill's large form appeared at the bottom of the stairs.

Hermione tried to look casual. "Hey Bill… good morning."

"Hermione," he muttered. It was quite obvious that she was coming down from Charlie's room, and she was clearly wearing his bathrobe with the white "C" embroidered on the breast. Bill examined her and smiled ever so slightly. "Mum and the others are coming back soon. They all survived their bout of scrofungulus, and Mum is eager to cook in her own kitchen."

"Oh, ok… great," Hermione murmured in response. She turned and ducked into the bathroom before Bill could say anything else. He quickly walked straight into Charlie's room.

"Are you serious?" he hissed at Charlie, waking him. "You and Hermione?"

Charlie rubbed his sleepy eyes and smiled contentedly at his brother. "She's great, Bill. I've had the best weekend of my life," he croaked.

"Wow… it's worse than I thought. You look like a lovesick puppy," Bill replied with a grin. "Now get your arse out of bed. Mum is coming home." He threw a pillow at Charlie's head and left the room.

* * *

_I hope you liked it! :) Please review!! _


	8. Chapter 8

_Fire in the Storm by WeasleyForMe_

_This story is for my darling friend Kara! Happy Birthday, KaraSays!  
_

_Hermione and Charlie find themselves stranded together, and boredom quickly turns into heat! Thanks Mistymist for beta reading this for me!!_

* * *

Hermione found herself crammed between Ron and Ginny at dinner that night. Charlie was conveniently located right across the table, close enough to be a distraction but too far away to grab. He was coolly avoiding most of her glances, but Bill and Percy seemed to notice the general direction in which Hermione's eyes were glued.

Mrs. Weasley droned on and on. "That storm was just too much! How ever did the two of you manage to take care of everything while we were all away?" she asked for the third time.

"For the last time Mum, Hermione and I are capable adults," Charlie reminded her.

Hermione thought that Charlie was nothing if not very _capable_. She blushed and stared at her glass of butterbeer, aware of Charlie's eyes on her.

Mrs. Weasley merely continued to fawn over her brood, serving heaping bowls of homemade stew. "Well it's very nice to be back from Muriel's cottage. She just fussed over all of us while we were sick!"

For a second, Hermione sympathized with Ginny and Ron; if Aunt Muriel's fussing was anything like Molly's, Hermione was surprised they hadn't torn their hair out yet.

As Hermione stretched her legs, she nearly jumped out of her seat when Charlie's boot covered foot came into contact with her calf. She watched his shift in his seat, and then felt his hand squeezed her knee. He smirked at her from across the kitchen table, a truly lust-filled yet sappy look on his face. Hermione giggled but tried to cover it with a cough as everyone turned to look at her; everyone except Molly who was staring at Charlie.

"Why are you looking at Hermione like that?" she asked quickly. Charlie snapped his eyes up to look at his mother.

"I, uh…"

Molly sniffed and shook her head as she started to collect the dinner dishes. "The two of you have done something inappropriate in my home," she snapped. Hermione and Charlie shared a wide-eyed look; Bill and Percy, knowing full well exactly what had happened, choked on their laughter. "I suppose you both thought I wouldn't notice that you drank all of my cooking wine? Well, I did," she declared as she marched toward the sink.

Charlie sighed with relief as Hermione sunk down into her seat with a relieved look. "Yeah, sorry about that Mum," Charlie muttered.

"We didn't mean to upset you," Hermione added.

"What's done is done," Mrs. Weasley said as she vigorously scrubbed a pan.

Hermione excused herself from the table and was followed shortly by Charlie. Bill winked at him as he left the kitchen, lovesick look still plastered all over his face.

As Hermione started up the stairs, he grabbed her hand and halted her. "Meet me in the attic at midnight," Charlie whispered.

She smiled and nodded reluctantly.

* * *

Hermione had a hell of a time sneaking out of Ginny's bedroom. The usually sociable redhead decided to read in bed for the entire evening, which was very out of character.

Hermione yawned her sixth faux yawn. "Wow, I'm really really tired, Ginny. How about we go to bed?" She glanced at the clock; it was nearly midnight, and she was hoping to sneak out of the room soon.

"How dense do you think I am, Hermione? Just go meet him," Ginny said, never looking up from her book.

Blinking rapidly, Hermione sat frozen in place. She raised her eyebrows and muttered to herself as she slipped out of bed and quietly closed the door behind her. It seemed that all of Charlie's siblings knew what was going on. Sighing, she climbed the stairs to the attic where Charlie was waiting for her.

"You're late," he whispered, scooping Hermione into his arms.

"Blame Ginny," she sighed against his bare chest. Charlie held her tightly against himself and played with her very curly hair. Once his fingers reached the ends of the strands, he let his hands fall to rub her lower back. She sighed as he leaned down and placed a gentle kiss just below her ear.

"Is there a reason you wanted me to meet you?" she murmured.

Charlie's hand stopped moving, and Hermione could feel him getting tense. "What?" she asked. His eyes were searching hers, nearly pleading with her. "Oh… you're leaving to go back to work, aren't you?" she asked, in the quietest of whispers.

He didn't answer but held on to her. "Will you come back?" she asked as she felt tears behind her eyes.

"Yes! Of course I will! I could come back this weekend if you want me to… it's just Romania," he assured her.

"Portkeys are expensive, Charlie."

"I get paid plenty."

Hermione chewed on her bottom lip. "You shouldn't go to all that trouble to visit me."

"What if I think you're worth the trouble?" Charlie challenged.

She pulled away and looked up at him. She took a deep breath and wove her fingers together as she muttered, "Everyone else will get suspicious."

Charlie chuckled. "I think everyone is already clued in. Besides, I don't really care if they know that I'm crazy about you." He leaned down and kissed her forehead.

She only needed a short moment to deliberate. "I don't care either." She pressed up onto her tiptoes to meet his lips with her own.

Charlie scooped Hermione up into his arms and flipped her over his shoulder. "Charlie!" she gasped as he carried her quietly down to his bedroom. He gently placed her on the edge of his bed. Hermione grinned and lay back, pulling him down with her and claiming his lips again. She let her hands roam greedily across his chest and arms, knowing how much she'd miss him when he was in Romania.

"We'll have to be quiet," Charlie whispered.

Hermione giggled. "No we won't; we can just blame all of the noise on the ghoul." She rolled her eyes and cast a silencing charm on his bedroom. They both knew that neither of them was quite ready to practice quiet caution in the presence of the other.

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_Thanks so much for reading! Please review! The next chapter will be the last one, seriously this time :)_


	9. Chapter 9

_Fire in the Storm by WeasleyForMe_

_This story is for my darling friend Kara! Happy Birthday, KaraSays!  
_

_Hermione and Charlie find themselves stranded together, and boredom quickly turns into heat! Thanks Mistymist for beta reading this for me!!_

* * *

Three months. Hermione was shocked that she'd actually survived for three months. She and Charlie had only been able to spend a few days together each month, traveling by portkey as much as they could with their busy work schedules. She missed everything about that perfect, snowy long weekend with Charlie. Now that everything was out in the open, they didn't have to sneak around, but it had become one of Hermione's most cherished memories.

"Hermione." She was roused from her daydream when she heard Bill call her name. She sighed, remembering that she was at Gringotts and supposed to be doing work.

"Yes, Bill?"

She raised an eyebrow as Bill examined her closely, fairly certain that he could see the sadness in her face. He had gotten used to her melancholy moods at work and had finally stopped asking her what was wrong. It was very evident that Hermione missed his brother as much as Charlie missed her.

Bill pursed his lips before he answered. "Can you review these loans and get them back to me?"

She nodded, suddenly glad to have something to work on. She took the papers from him and expected him to leave her alone at her desk. "Did you need something else, Bill?"

"You know, you can get a transfer to almost any Gringotts branch in the wizarding world, right?"

A small smile crossed Hermione's face and she nodded a little bit. She missed Charlie, but it was probably too soon to bring that up. "Yeah, I know."

Bill sighed and walked away.

Once she was done with her work, Hermione pulled a blank piece of parchment from her desk drawer and started a quick letter to Charlie. She smiled as she signed her name and decided to write a short post script at the end. She quickly folded the letter and sent it off with an owl before she could change her mind.

* * *

Charlie dropped his heavy duffle bag and coiled rope on the floor of his flat, glad to be home from work for the evening. He wanted nothing more than to take a hot shower and write a letter to his girlfriend. It felt odd calling Hermione his girlfriend; she seemed like so much more. After pulling off his work boots and yanking his shirt over his head, he realized that an owl was perched outside his kitchen window.

He pulled out his wand and opened the window, accepting the letter from the owl.

"Gringotts?" he mumbled out loud when he saw the tag on the owl, surprised to receive two letters from Bill in as many days. But he unfolded the parchment to find Hermione's neat script and smiled brightly.

_Dear Charlie,_

_The past two weeks without you have felt like two months! I'm still at work, so I have to keep this short. But I just wanted to let you know that I can scrape together enough of my paycheck to visit you in two more weekends. How does that sound? _

_Miss you so much,_

_Hermione_

_P.S.- Bill said the craziest thing earlier… something about me being able to transfer to any Gringotts branch in the world. What a silly thought. _

Charlie folded the note and tucked it into his back pocket as he ran to find a clean shirt.

* * *

It was Friday morning, and Hermione was anxious and upset. She wished more than anything that she still had her Time Turner, then she could go back and convince herself not to write to Charlie. He didn't respond to her letter from the previous day in which she had so blatantly and moronically brought up the issue of transferring within Gringotts.

"Why?" she moaned as she trudged to work. She ran her fingers through her messy hair and rubbed her eyes, deciding it would have been beneficial for her to turn around and go home. No, moping wouldn't get her anywhere, so she trudged on.

She hummed thoughtfully and decided she could explain herself to Charlie later… convince him that she had momentarily gone crazy. Yes, that would work.

As she rounded the corner and approached her desk, Hermione nearly had a heart attack. Charlie was sitting in her chair.

"What are you doing?" Hermione gasped, drawing the attention of the few other employees that showed up at seven in the morning.

"Waiting for you," Charlie responded as he stood and scooped her into his arms. "I caught a portkey at midnight."

Hermione embraced him tightly as she mumbled, "Why are you here?" She pulled away to look at his face. He hadn't shaved in at least two days, and he looked as exhausted as she felt.

"I just thought this was a better option that responding to your letter."

Hermione blushed, wishing she had more time to construct her story about momentary insanity. "About that," she began.

Charlie cut her off. "I'm here to help you pack."

"Pardon?" Hermione sputtered.

Charlie chuckled. "You need to pack."

"For what?"

"Romania. I've heard from Bill that the Bucharest office is hiring a law clerk. The pay is good and it includes medical benefits," he said with a silly grin.

"Wha-?"

"Please move to Romania, Hermione," Charlie whispered next to her ear. "I miss you too much. Besides, I thought that's what you were hinting at yesterday."

She wrapped her arms around his neck. "Well, I didn't think you'd go for the idea so soon."

"I would have gone for the idea the second I realized that we were stranded together at the Burrow." Charlie kissed her lips as he whispered, "Please."

Hermione let herself melt against him, enjoying his hands and mouth, before answering, "Yes. I love you, and I'm coming with you."

"I love you, too." Charlie smiled and led Hermione back toward the front doors. "Now let's get packing… the sooner we move your things, the more time we can spend in bed."

Hermione smirked. "And the sooner we get out of bed, the more time I can spend redecorating your flat. That dragon print wallpaper in the bathroom has got to go."

Charlie looked slightly scandalized before Hermione apparated them both away from Diagon Alley and into their future together.

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_THE END!! I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it! _

_Thank you so much Vette... you are a wonderful beta and an amazing friend! _

_Please leave a review! _


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